Wildlife hospital needs a lot of things, from food, towels and medicines to hi-tech medical equipment, to provide wild animals with the best care they deserve, on a daily basis. You have a chance to help out with donating needed items from a list below or funding a purchase of needed equipment. Contact us before donating!!!

Equiptment:

Acclimatization cages – Please help us to build acclimatization cages for animals. Thees cages will be custom made to acclimate patients during periods of cold weather. Animals will be spending time after in house treatment in those custom cages between moving permanently out. To reduce stress for animals, those cages have wheels underneath, so they can be carted in and out of the building. By that, we reduce handling the animals and stress and potential injuries to patients and caregivers. Approximate price of an unit will be available soon

Orthopedic Instrument Pack – Avian patients dealt with at hospital often require specialized tools or unique tool sizes that are expensive to obtain. The complexity of surgical fixation in avian orthopedic fractures is wide – as the surgeon must compensate for the immense strength of bigger birds or perform microsurgery on small patients in order to yield positive results. An orthopedic pack provides the vet with a range of tool sizes needed to operate successfully on avian patients. Approximate price of an unit will be available on request

Handling Gloves – Please help care for our patients and our staff! At the Wildlife hospital, our patients come with an array of “weapons” that include teeth, talons, and sharp beaks. These make wearing gloves necessary to safely handle the wild animals in our care. Leather handling gloves come in a wide range of sizes and thicknesses: thin wrist-length gloves used for handling small birds of prey and small mammals, thicker elbow-length gloves used to capture large owls and large rodents, and the thickest up-to-the shoulder length eagle handling gloves. Teeth, talons, and beaks take their toll on our equipment and after heavy use, no amount of sewing can repair the holes. Prices starting from 50 euros.

Patient Scales – All patients within the hospital must be weighed each time they are handled in order to make sure they are not losing weight while they heal from their injuries. Like our patients, scales come in a range of sizes. Small scales can be used to accurately weigh hummingbirds while larger scales are more appropriate for eagles and foxes. Frequent use and movement of our scales mean that they must be replaced on a regular basis. Price starting from 300 euros.

Squeeze Cages – We admit some really wild animals at the Center and in order to handle them safely, we need to restrain and sedate them so we can examine and treat their injuries. Squeeze cages allow our staff to temporarily pin the animal in a cage thus allowing us to safely administer sedatives of other medications. These cages also protect our staff from bite and scratch wounds. We would like to obtain several models and sizes for the diversity of wild mammals that we treat.

Pediatric Brooders – When young animals arrive they are often hypothermic and need to be warmed up. Before their fur or feathers grow long enough to keep them warm, rehabilitators need to provide supplemental heat that would normally be provided by the mother or from the body heat of siblings. Pediatric brooders (http://www.petiatric.com/nurseryhospitalbrooders.aspx) are designed to provide the proper heat and humidity needed to care for most baby wildlife species. Eventually, the Center would like to acquire 2 units to care for the hundreds of orphaned and sick young wildlife patients we rehabilitate each spring. Approximate price of an unit will be available on request

Intravenous Pump – This piece of veterinary equipment allows intravenous fluids to be administered slowly at a constant rate to sick and debilitated wildlife patients. Wildlife species become highly stressed when restrained for long periods of time. This machine can be hidden outside of the enclosure and fluid/medications are pumped through sterile tubing into the animal’s veins in order to provide critical care. Approximate price of an unit will be available on request

Avian/Exotic Anesthesia Workstation – Due to their sensitive respiratory system, it is extremely common for birds to stop breathing while undergoing general anesthesia. In order to provide oxygen to the patient, a person must squeeze a reservoir bag every 10 seconds throughout the surgery, often for several hours. This anesthesia workstation contains a ventilator that breaths automatically for the patient while simultaneously warming the air and delivering the anesthetic gas. By attaching this workstation to our current equipment, we can provide more consistent support. Approximate price of an unit will be available on request

Medical Textbooks – The literature on veterinary medicine is scant in comparison to published textbooks on domestic species. New resources are being published each year and it is vital that we stay stay up-to-date on the latest findings. Our hospital would like to aqairre textbooks with newer editions so that we can continue to provide the most updated medical, diagnostic, and surgical care to our patients. Cost: Text books vary in price between 50-150 EUR

Multi-function anesthetic monitor – This anesthetic monitor is connected to the patient while under anesthesia and is used to observe various physiological parameters. This monitor has the ability to measure heart rate and function, the efficiency and capability of the respiratory system to deliver oxygen to the body’s organs and remove waste gas, monitor core body temperature, record pulse and blood pressure. With this information, veterinarians can respond quickly to slight deviations in these parameters before permanent damage to the body can occur. Approximate price of an unit will be available on request

Funded equipment

Blood Lead Analyzer – every year there are eagles and other raptors arriving at the hospital showing clinical signs of acute lead toxicity. Eagles can acquire lead either by ingesting lead-contaminated prey, or by gunshot trauma. In either instance, a medical diagnosis and appropriate treatment regime must be started immediately if the bird is to survive. Blood lead analyzers are available to give fast, inexpensive answers that allow the clinician to tailor the treatment to the dose of lead the bird received. By evaluating blood lead levels over time, the success rate of the treatment can also be evaluated. Will be funded by Keskkonnainvesteeringute Keskus

Medical Oxygen Concentrator – Elevated oxygen concentration has been proven to increase the success rate when working with critically ill patients. While we use medical grade tank oxygen for most surgical procedures, an oxygen concentrator uses room air to deliver medical grade oxygen directly into the enclosure housing the patient. These devices can be easily wheeled to the patient thus decreasing handling stress. In addition, oxygen concentrators do not have ongoing refill expenses and thus are more cost effective over time. Will be funded by Keskkonnainvesteeringute Keskus

Ophthalmoscope – Ophthalmoscope is needes to visualize back of the eye, allowing the clinician to see important structures such as the retina, optic nerve, and pectin. It is extremely important to fully examine the retina, especially in raptors, as any damage can render the bird blind or with severe visual deficits. As raptors need the use of both eyes (binocular vision) to find and obtain prey, lesions that go undiagnosed likely lead to starvation in the wild. Will be funded by Keskkonnainvesteeringute Keskus

Critical Care Chamber – Increased oxygen concentration and warm temperatures have been proven to increase the success rate when working with critically ill patients. This chamber can provide sick birds (and other species) with both factors all while housing the animal in a low stress atraumatic chamber. Will be funded by Keskkonnainvesteeringute Keskus

Tonovet – A Tonovet is a tool to measure the pressure within the eye. This tool is specifically designed for animals and is very useful in measuring the degree of trauma to an injured eye. As eyes are often damaged during collisions with vehicles and other man-made structures, a thorough ocular examination is essential when determining the release potential of the patient. Will be funded by Keskkonnainvesteeringute Keskus

Intravenous Fluid Warmer – The most common cause of injury to Bald Eagles presenting to the Wildlife Center of Virginia is traumatic injury. These birds often have low blood pressure from either blood loss or from dehydration and intra-venous (IV) fluids are an essential component of their medical treatment. In order to not exacerbate or create hypothermia, IV fluids should be administered at physiologic body temperatures. This piece of equipment warms the fluid line before it reaches the patient. Will be funded by Keskkonnainvesteeringute Keskus

Dremmel + specialized bits – In the wild, raptors keep their beaks and talons “trimmed” by rubbing them on rocks, limbs, and bone. This prevents overgrowth which may interfere with eating or capturing prey. In captivity, this natural behavior is not always performed and staff must trim the beak and talons using a dremmel tool; a process called coping. A cordless dremmel would allow our staff to treat the animals in their outdoor enclosures rather than bringing them to the clinic. Donated by wildlife enthusiasts